


Your Very Own Troll

by solidburnreturned



Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Eventual Romance, Gen, Light Angst, Minor Violence, OH its post movie, not a lot at all really but just in case, thats all i can think of right now lol, there are humans in this yo
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-05-06 05:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14635254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solidburnreturned/pseuds/solidburnreturned
Summary: Something (or someone) is hunting the creatures of the forest, and the trolls are definitely included on the list of “desired items.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't done a big fic like this in a while! It's really fun to write so far, and I look forward to hearing what you guys think! Enjoy!

The forest was a peaceful place, full of life and color. The creatures within the towering trees, winding meadows, and breezy plains were seen by very few outsiders. Camouflage kept both predators and prey hidden from prying eyes. Most animals were colored with varying tones of green, brown, grey, and yellow. Some had some bright coloring, but most kept their colors earthy.

Among the residential creatures were the unexpectedly colorful Trolls. Surprisingly, despite being quite low on the food chain, they were probably some of the loudest, brightest, and most bombastic critters in the entire area. Song, dance, and glitter were their favorite activities. They of course knew how to blend in and could defend themselves, but their village was considered quite safe and sound. Queen Poppy lead the trolls proudly, making sure the villagers were safe to party freely without worry. 

Branch was eager to help with this.

“Poppy, I did some perimeter scouting this morning and I think you should take a look at what I found.”

Poppy brushed her hair carefully, tongue peeking out of her mouth with concentration. She was sat in front of her vanity mirror in her large pink pod, surrounded by different products involved in her daily morning routine. Branch was sat behind her on her bed, his pale blues, browns and greens looking a bit out of place surrounded by so much pink. He didn’t really care. He had bigger things to worry about, and Poppy needed to hear it. 

“Run it by me, Branchie boy!”

Branch furrowed his brow and cleared his throat. “The North end of the village is secure. The river is at an appropriate water level and is looking crystal clear. The West side is also secure. The farms are thriving with the recent rains and we all have plenty of food. We should start storage soon, I think Fall is going to come early. The East side is confirmed secure, although I found some feathers on the ground. I think Harper should paint up some warning signs to put in the area for now. Any big birds in that area could potentially cause pecking-related injuries. Now, the South end-”

“Branch, everything sounds just fine! It sounds fine every morning!" Poppy interrupted, throwing her head back in exasperation. "I appreciate you checking, but you should try and relax! The biggest party of the year is tonight!” Poppy said, glancing at his disgruntled face in the mirror.

“Exactly! Poppy, I really don’t think you should go ahead with the Midsummer Bash. The South end looks compromised to me-”

She sighed loudly. “Again with the South end?”

He stomped his foot. “Yes! Well, outside of the South end! I keep finding weird stuff, and I’m just getting a bad feeling.”

“You always have a bad feeling.”

Branch’s ears turned down slightly, expression switching from frustrated to puzzled. “No, I don’t!”

“You’ve been complaining about the South end for a week now!” She spun around in her seat to face him. “Give yourself a rest, Branch! You’re just stressing yourself out over nothing.”

His light purple nose scrunched up indignantly. “It’s not nothing! A couple miles out, I found this weird…dart thing…it was bigger than me!”

Poppy smirked playfully. “Lots of things are bigger than you, Branch,”

“But I don’t know where this thing came from!”

She tried using a more calming tone, seeing that Branch was really starting to get worked up. “Maybe the bergens just have a new…game or something and one of the pieces made its way near the village.”

“Even if that were true, which I highly doubt it is since Bergentown is North of the village, that wouldn’t explain the other things I’ve found!” He marched over to her vanity and shoved her things off to the side. Ignoring her agitated protests, he slapped his sketchbook down and flipped to some more recent sketches. “Look at these!”

Poppy peered at the drawings and notes. Panicky, slightly messy drawings of some weirdly futuristic camera, a shiny gold capsule of some sort, a clear package of what might’ve been some sort of food, and a large shoe print with indents indicating that the bottoms were studded.

Poppy glanced back up at Branch, unimpressed. “These just seem like bergen things…”

“No way. Why would a bergen be all the way out here by themself? Plus, I’ve never seen a bergen eat whatever was in that weird bag.” He looked at her with wide eyes, getting right in her face. "It. Smelled. Gross."

Gently closing the sketchbook and keeping eye contact with the light blue troll, Poppy slid it back towards him with a tight smile. “Branch, I know you want to keep everyone safe, and you’re very good at it! But you need to learn to let some things go.”

Branch started to get antsy. “Poppy, if I ignored something that turned out to put everyone in danger, I don’t know if I could forgive myself. Especially if something happened to you!”

“Aw, that’s really sweet! But, seriously! Everything is going to be fine. No one has seen or heard anything actually threatening, including yourself. A few weird things in the woods a ways away from here doesn’t mean we’re in danger.” Poppy stood up and patted Branch on his tense shoulder. “Just. Relax. Try some scrapbooking!”

Branch heaved a sigh through his nose. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with the stubborn queen. Tomorrow’s party was a favorite of the trolls, and it was definitely a huge one. He could remember fretting over The Midsummer Bash constantly during his grey years, angrily warning everyone to keep the noise down, shut the lasers off, call off the fireworks…otherwise a bergen would surely come and eat them all. While he was no longer grey and bergens were no longer the enemy, Branch was still certain that parties as big as this brought only trouble. Had he been wrong for the last 20 years? Yes. But, statistically, that just made the odds of something going wrong higher. At least that’s how he saw things. Try as he might, he’d never managed to convince Poppy to call the party off, or even tone it down. He knew he wouldn’t be successful this year either. 

“Fine. Don’t listen to me. But I’m gonna be checking that perimeter like its never been checked before, and when I do find what’s leaving all this junk behind, I’m gonna rub it in your sorry face!” His nose was smashed up against hers, angry blue eyes inches away from amused magenta eyes. 

Poppy blinked at him, smiling nonchalantly. “Can’t wait! Now go eat something, you’re getting hangry.” She spun back around in her chair and continued her morning routine.

A growl from his stomach interrupted his coming denial. Poppy giggled as Branch turned and trudged out of her pod. Back to getting ready for the day. She did appreciate Branch’s vigilance and knew that he did it out of love and care for the trolls. However, his constant cries of wolf this week in particular were really starting to wear them both down. She wished she could find a way to get him to just chill out and not be so high-strung all the time.

“Things will calm down after the party,” she hummed to herself, tying up her frizzy hair. “Including Branch!”

——-

Branch grumbled angrily to himself as he stomped around the South end of the village, chomping aggressively on an acorn. Poppy was right, he had been getting hangry…but his concerns were still valid. Bizarre objects appearing out of seemingly nowhere? That was definitely something to worry about.

Angrily grinding the acorn up with his teeth, Branch adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and pushed on, beyond the Southern border of the village. He paused when he caught glimpse of some young trolls playing in the grass, giggling and chasing each other around.

Choking down the acorn quickly, he hurried over to the kids. “H-Hey! You shouldn’t be out here!”

They stopped their romp and greeted branch with a smile.

“Hi Mr. Branch!” One little yellow troll said brightly. “Do you wanna play with us?”

“No, not right now, you guys shouldn’t be beyond the border! It’s not safe!”

A little chubby orange troll groaned. “But Mr. Braaanch! It’s fun out here! There’s no scary monsters!”

“You don’t know that,” he snapped before catching himself and softening his tone. “Now, I’m serious, go back to the village!”

The group whined and started trudging back the way they came. One whispered into the ear of another:

“Mr. Branch is just no fun…”

Branch’s sensitive ears caught that remark and he huffed sharply before continuing on his way at a furious pace. “I’m fun…I’m plenty of fun! They just don’t know anything about safe fun!” Another bite out of the acorn. “Wandering around in the woods with no supervision…no survivalist training…hmph!” Crunch. “Might as well have a glowing sign above their heads that says ‘eat me!’” He dug a sharp piece of acorn out of his back teeth. “Jeez, why didn’t I cook this thing?”

A crackle of leaves up ahead made him freeze. Pricking up his ears and dropping the partially gnawed nut to the ground softly, he ninja rolled over to a nearby rock. More crackles ahead. A low murmur. Branch’s heart started to thud in his chest. He carefully pulled his frying out of his pack, face hardening in determination. Peeking over the rock, this view of whatever was making these noises was blocked by the vine-covered trees. His hair shot forward and pulled him up from vine to vine. Silence was key, he knew. He had no idea how good the hearing was of these mysterious…whatever-they-are’s. The crunches of leaves started to move away at a surprisingly fast pace. Determined to at least catch a glimpse, Branch switched out his frying pan for binoculars, swinging from tree to tree and running along branches. He couldn’t believe how quickly the noises were fading away and keeping up was a growing challenge. Among the crunch of leaves and his own haggard breathing he could just make out some strange swishing sound that was sometimes followed by a dull thunk. 

After a few more minutes of sprinting, Branch stopped short on a vine, out of breath. The binoculars pressed against his eyes desperately searched for any sign of movement, any unnatural colors, anything. But the commotion had long faded away. The only evidence that was left to justify Branch’s pursuit were some sliced vines and slashes in the tree bark. Big slashes. Biting his lip, the light blue troll hopped down closer to one of the slashes. He ran his fingers along the bright white inner wood. The gash was enormous, bigger than he was in both height and definitely length. Sap was already starting to bleed out. Catching a drop on his finger, he tasted it carefully. The usual sweetness tree sap would have was tainted with a strong metallic flavor. He swallowed thickly, his anxiety rising. 

Down below on the forest floor he spotted something florescent almost hidden in the crushed grass. He quickly bounded down to it, still on high alert for any suspicious activity. The forest had never been so eerily silent; it was deafening to him.

Hidden behind some blades of bent grass was a bright pink…thing that Branch had never seen before. It was about the size of himself (minus the hair), not quite as wide, and topped with a shiny, metal contraption of some kind beside a red tab. This thing was such an alarming shade of pink it would give Poppy a run for her money. Branch shrugged off his backpack and hesitantly touched the item, pulling his hand back sharply as if it had electrocuted him on contact. It was a smooth material that he had never seen or felt before and it was causing his face to scrunch in disgust. He recognized one of the metal parts at the top; a gear. It wouldn’t spin nearly as smoothly as Branch thought it should have as he gave it a tug. Some kind of yellow-tinted fluid was crusted around the metal. One whiff was all he needed before covering his nose and gagging. 

“What is this thing?” He coughed. 

Deciding more information may be on the other side, he wrapped his dark hair around it tightly and flipped it. The smooth material felt foreign in his grasp and he grunted, struggling to keep a hold if it. There was still fluid in the apparently hollowed cylinder; he could hear it slosh inside. The other side did in fact have a clue, although Branch really only felt more confused after reading it.

“Fl…ori…da? Who’s Florida?” He muttered. 

Strange wavy letters spelled the mystery word out in all caps, the bright white contrasting heavily against the eye-blinding pink. Branch snatched his sketchbook out of his hair and started feverishly documenting his findings. This included the crushed and bleeding grass, the oozing gashes in the trees, and the sliced up vines hanging loosely. It was a horrific sight to him to try and capture with his scratchy markings.

An abrupt, sharp explosion off in the distance startled Branch so badly he sprang into the air with a shriek, his pencil and book flying in different directions. He bolted for the cover of a nearby tree root. The screams and alarms of birds and other animals overwhelming him completely. The silence that followed was short, interrupted by deep cheers of triumph. Holding his ringing ears, Branch decided he had had more than enough and frantically gathered his things before sprinting back in the direction of the village.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woo chapter two! enjoy, leave comments if u want! :^)

“Yeah! Way to light it up, guys!” 

Poppy congratulated the breathless trolls after another energetic morning song. They all cheered back at her, invigorated by the catchy beat still stuck in their heads. 

Poppy stretched her arms, a grin spread over her face. “It’s good to get nice and warmed up before the bash tonight! It’s gonna be crazy!”

“You know it!” Satin and Chenille chorused. 

Cooper bounced over to Poppy, the rest of the Snack Pack close behind. “Tonight is gonna be wild! I’m so pumped, I could just explode!”

“Save that explosiveness for tonight, pyro-dude!” Poppy laughed. “We’ve got all the fireworks you can handle saved up!”

Cooper looked dreamily in the distance, imagining the possibilities.

“Don’t forget the glitter canons!” Guy Diamond sang in his robotic tune.

“Or the sick beats!” DJ said.

“I wouldn’t even dream of it,” Poppy whispered emotionally.

Biggie was about to step forward to add the inclusion of more party-antics when the sound of panicked screaming in the distance cut him off. Branch came barreling into the clearing, almost crashing into the group of friends, gasping for breath.

“We gotta hide! We gotta get outta here!” He hollered, starting to pull Poppy in the direction of his bunker.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Branch, what’s your problem?” Poppy yelped, yanking her hands back.

“What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Biggie fussed.

Branch shook his head. “Way worse than a ghost! I’m serious Poppy, we need to get everyone out of here!”

“Just tell us what happened first, man!” DJ said, trying to calm him down.

Branch growled in frustration. Yanking his sketchbook out of his hair, he flipped to his recent drawings in the forest. “Here. I went out to investigate beyond the Southern border again, and I heard something move around in the brush. I tried to chase it down, but it moved so quickly I couldn’t keep up...but it did leave behind all of _this.”_

Poppy took the book out of Branch’s hands and started flipping through his sketches. The Snack Pack peeked curiously over her shoulders. 

“What’s that thing?” Cooper asked, pointing to the depiction of the pink object. “Who’s Florida?”

“Isn’t that a singer?” Guy Diamond shrugged. 

“No, that’s Flo Rida.” Smidge corrected. 

“I don’t know who Florida is, or what they are, but they left that thing when they escaped. It’s made of a really weird, smooth material...it’s filled with some gross-smelling fluid...”

“And these cuts in the trees?” Poppy pointed to the drawings.

“It must have huge metal claws, some sort of machine, or...something,” he said, fear starting to creep back into his voice. “The sap coming out of the wood tasted metallic. And it cut through vines thicker than three trolls like butter!”

“Why didn’t you bring the pink thing back? It looks small enough to carry,” Biggie said. 

Branch shivered involuntarily. “That was my plan at first...but then I heard this huge explosion only like a mile away, and these big, booming voices...”

“So you came running back like a chicken!” Satin giggled.

“No!” He barked. “I came back to warn you guys!”

“Branch, are you sure that explosion and voices wasn’t us? We did a whole morning song with some fireworks-”

“Absolutely not, I know what fireworks sound like and that was  _not_ fireworks. And I know you guys have some strong bass singers-”

“I’ll take credit for that one,” Smidge said proudly.

“-but these were voices that I’d never heard before. Please, Poppy, we need to get out of here!” Branch pleaded desperately. 

“But what about the party tonight? The Midsummer Bash is the biggest one of the year!” Biggie whined.

Poppy looked between Branch’s distressed face and her friend’s disappointed ones. Even Fuzzbert’s hair was drooping slightly. She closed the sketchbook with a sigh. 

“Branch...I know you want to protect the village, but...”

His eyes widened. “Poppy, a party is not worth risking the lives of every troll here!”

“You didn’t even see anything though, right?” Smidge grunted.

“Well, I didn’t see what caused all the damage, but the pink thing-!”

Guy Diamond stepped forward. “Are you sure that’s not just some kind of bergen thing?” 

Branch fought the urge to start ripping his own hair out. “Yes, I’m sure! No bergen can move as fast as that creature was anyway!”

“So it was some other animal that was  _moving away_  from the village! What’s the big deal, man?” DJ crossed her arms.

“Yeah, it hasn’t even come near us according to you! What does it matter if there’s some animal running around in the woods if it’s leaving us alone?” Guy Diamond turned to face the queen, speaking in a lower tone. “Poppy, I think this is just Branch being...Branch.”

Thoughtfulness was across her face during the entire exchange. Poppy could see Branch starting to turn a few dark shades of purple out of the corner of her eye. The sound of his teeth grinding was even audible. Cautiously, she held the sketchbook back out to Branch, who roughly snatched it up. She felt completely torn between her friends. While Branch’s findings were a bit troublesome, the others had a point; none of this had taken place  _too_ near the village, and no one had actually seen this animal, even Branch. She took a deep breath through her nose and clasped her hands in front of her, preparing her best queenly voice.

“Alright. Branch, your efforts to protect the village are very noble and appreciated by  _all_  of us,” she gave the Snack Pack a hard look before turning back to her blue friend, “...and I will definitely be keeping these warnings in mind.”

Branch nodded smugly, crossing his arms. “It’s about time!”

“...But...”

His smile crashed into a frown.

“...This party is very important to the trolls, and since this creature hasn’t actually be seen or heard within a few miles of the village...I think it’s safe enough to go ahead with tonight’s plans.”

The Snack Pack cheered in triumph, almost drowning out Branch’s enraged protests.

“ _Are you kidding me?”_ He seethed, finally losing his cool completely. “It’s just gonna be lead right to us if you throw this stupid party!”

Everyone gasped in shock.

“You take that back!” Smidge shouted, shoving her nose against Branch’s. “The Midsummer Bash is the best party of the year and you know it!

“No, I don’t! In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been underground for the last 20 years, including during your ‘summer shindigs!’”

“Guys, guys!” Poppy shoved the two apart, standing between them. “That’s enough!”

“Jeez, I guess a little bit of blue in your hair and skin didn’t change the grey in your personality!” Smidge snapped. 

The group looked at her in shock. She immediately covered her mouth in shock at her own words.

“Oh, my Guh. Branch, I’m-”

Branch, face set with hurt and gnawing anger, stepped back from the group. “Okay, fine. You don’t want to listen to me? Fine. Alright. Don’t let my grey self rain on your death wish party.” He turned on his heel and stomped off, calling over his shoulder. “Have a _great_ time.”

“Branch, wait! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it!” Smidge called. 

She was ignored, and they all seemed to wilt a bit. They didn’t mean to hurt his feelings; they just wanted everyone to have a good night together. 

Poppy placed a reassuring hand on Smidge’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Smidge. He just needs to cool off.”

Smidge nodded solomely. Light dings went off as flowers bloomed on each of their wrists. The group of pals all embraced each other, trying to squeeze the guilt out and replace it with some joy. 

“Don’t sweat it, guys. I’ll talk to him later and get him to come to the party. Once he gets going with everyone else and has a good time, he’ll forget all about this. Okay?”

They all nodded, giving her warm smiles. She smiled back, thoughts racing on how she could possibly convince Branch to come to this party he seemed determined to cancel.

\--------

The clunk and whirr of the elevator echoed through the bunker’s dirt walls. Branch sniffed and rubbed his eyes, shoulders hunched over and hand clenched around the control lever. 

“Whatever...get mad at _me_ for trying to keep everyone safe...”

He stomped off the elevator and into his kitchen, grabbing a plum from the counter. Sinking his teeth into it, he continued to his workspace to start designing emergency plans. 

“‘You shouldn’t stress eat, Branch,’” He said shrilly through a mouthful of fruit, imitating Poppy’s bubbly tone. “Who says I’m stressed...I feel great...Poppy doesn’t know anything...”

A stack of paper and a pile of charcoal sat waiting for him at his stump desk. Shoving the periscope up out of his way, he sat down heavily and started to get to work, plum juice mixing with the dusty charcoal. He ignored this and scratched into the paper even more aggressively as his thoughts swarmed. The charcoal stick snapped in his hand. Automatically, without even looking up, he threw it over his shoulder and grabbed another. 

“Ridiculous...irresponsible...” 

_Snap._

Toss. 

Continue. 

“How could anyone just ignore such a threat...Who cares if it hasn’t reached the village yet, it’s bound to eventually! And then what!”

_Snap._

Toss.

Continue.

“It’s up to  _me_ to pick up the pieces! Have everyone stuff themselves into my bunker, trash the place! Why don’t they all spend 20 miserable years digging their  _own_  bunkers!”

_Snap._

Toss.

Continue.

“How about  _they_ lose people they love to some monster!” Tears splashed onto the paper. “How about  _they_ turn grey and stay that way for more than five measly minutes! Maybe then they’ll finally understand how important safety is! The horrible things it can  _prevent!_ To actually care about more than stupid rainbows, cupcakes, and parties!”

_Snap._

Toss.

“Ouch!”

Branch froze mid-rant. Spinning around, he saw Poppy rubbing out a charcoal stain from her forehead. She gave him a sheepish grin and a quick wave. A sharp snort was what she got for a response before Branch sat back down in his seat, rubbing his eyes hurriedly. The scratchy sounds of the charcoal picked back up. Poppy felt a twinge of guilt. She knew that he wouldn’t want to talk about what she had just overheard; he wasn’t one to talk about his feelings. Especially with the bad mood he was already in. He’d much sooner jump out of a window and run for the hills. So, she decided to take a different approach to comforting the blue grouch. She rolled her shoulders and pushed her bangs back in mischievous determination.  

“Whatcha workin’ on, my man?” Poppy sauntered up and leaned against Branch’s back, pushing her face through his hair to get a peek of his scribbles. Her toes were just barely perched on the edge of his chair to give herself more leverage.

Blushing a dark purple, Branch accidentally crushed the piece of charcoal in his fist once again. “Uh...I’m...I’m trying to, uh...make some emergency plans. Just in case.”

Poppy hummed in approval. She leaned forward more, twirling a lock of his dark hair in her fingers. “Does that mean you’re gonna be at the party? To make sure everything goes okay?”

Branch cleared his throat. “Um...Well, I’ll be watching, of course...”

Poppy hummed again and hopped down off of Branch, who almost fell over backwards. She knew exactly how to throw Branch off his grumpy game. Beneath that cautious, slightly snarky exterior was a very sensitive, caring, and even romantic troll who was easily flustered. 

Sly smile across her face, Poppy skipped up to the table, slapping her palms on it declaratively. “Who says you can’t dance and protect at the same time?”

“Hmph. Nice try, Poppy, but I don’t really think I should go.”

“Not even as my plus-one?” She poked a finger against his chest. 

Poppy smothered a giggle behind a toothy grin as a new wave of purple came over his cheeks and ears. He tried to look anywhere but at Poppy, stuttering and butchering his words. A gentle touch from her pink hand on his chin shut him right up. Poppy leaned right in and just barely brushed her nose against his. The heat radiated from his face and she batted her eyelashes. Branch gulped, sweaty palms gripping the edge of the table like his life depended on it.

“Pleeeeeaaaase?” She rubbed a thumb over his fuzzy jaw.

A lopsided smile appeared and replaced the previous frown of panic, though his eyes were still practically bugging out of his head. “Heh...y-yeah, alright...”

“Yay! Thanks, Branch!” Poppy bounced up and back over to the elevator. “Oh, and one more thing!” She pointed to the half-eaten plum on the table. “Stop stress-eating!” 

Branch looked taken aback as Poppy disappeared with a wink. What on Earth just happened? Did she just rope him in to a date? A date at the party he had desperately tried to shut down all week? All that took to convince him was just a little nose brushing and a chin tickle?

He dragged his blackened hands over his face with a groan, not caring about the dusty streaks they left. “You’re getting soft, Branch.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> party night! its a wild one for sure

Poppy rapped her knuckles on the large stone door in front of her and stepped back. Instead of facing the boulder for a response, she looked towards the brown welcome mat at her feet. It once read “GO AWAY” in sloppy white letters, but now it just said “PLEASE KNOCK”. An amused smile appeared on her pink face. Still not super welcoming, but a definite improvement.

A section of the mat was slid away and two tired blue eyes looked up to her magenta ones.

“Hey, Branch! Ready to go?” Poppy chirped, rocking on her heels. 

Branch flipped the hatch up, poking out like an odd gopher. “Can I show you my emergency plans first?”

She fought an eye roll and decided to humor him. Probably best to listen and put his nerves at ease first before heading to the party. Well, ease his nerves as much as he would allow them to be eased, anyway. Branch was not really the type to relax at all, grey or teal or whatever color in between. 

“Sure! Lay it on me!” 

He smiled and pulled an armful of rolled up papers out from his hair. A quick clearing of his throat, and he began rattling off method after method of escape from possible attacks. Climbing trees, hiding under rocks, hiding in tall grass, using fireworks as diversions and even means of defense...Poppy could barely keep up with how fast he was explaining.

“...And, of course, if worse comes to worse...” Branch took in a deep breath of resignment, “...the trolls may hide in my bunker until the threat leaves or is neutralized.”

Snapping out of her bored trance, Poppy blinked quickly and gave a thumbs up. “Great! Alright! Very, uh...very thorough!”

Grin plastered on his face, Branch tried not to look too smug. “So, before the party starts, you’ll go over these with the village, right?”

Poppy laughed nervously. “Yeah, of course!”

What a way to start a party that would be. Hang on just a sec, guys, gotta go over around fifteen emergency plans in case something comes to attack and eat us! That would really set a great mood. Poppy knew that the trolls wouldn’t go for this at all.

“...H-Hey, why aren’t you dressed up for the bash?” She asked quickly.

Branch glanced down at his clothes. Green leafy vest, patched up brown shorts. His usual attire. 

“Uh...I don’t think I have anything else.”

“Aw, c’mon, I know you’ve got something flashy hidden away in your closet!" She crouched down to get closer to his eye level. "How about you go root around for your best threads, and I’ll go explain all these great plans you made to the trolls!”

He furrowed his brow, holding the papers to his chest almost protectively. “Are you sure? I mean...do you have all the details down? It’s really important to have everything go right should anything-”

Poppy grabbed up the rolls of paper and nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yup! Have no fear! I got this!”

“I gotta say, it’s not easy for me to have no fear, Poppy.”

A boop on the nose made him relax enough to lower his tense shoulders. Poppy gave him an affirmative salute and ran off, chin held high. He sighed and pressed his lips together in a sort of flat smile before turning to head back down into his bunker. His anxiety around the whole situation was difficult for him to fight off. Maybe finding something a bit nicer to wear _would_ help distract him from his intrusive thoughts long enough to actually enjoy the party tonight. 

\-----

Poppy tucked the emergency plans up into her hair for safekeeping as she walked back out into the main clearing. The party was already warming up with DJ playing the bass-heavy music that the trolls went crazy for. Cooper was lining up fireworks in a very specific pattern, obviously planning something big for the party’s climax. Glitter bombs flew through the air. The source was Satin, Chenille, and guy diamond, riding on the back of a fuzzy caterrider that weaved through the enormous crowd of rowdy trolls. 

With a giddy whoop, Poppy threw herself into the crowd, surfing towards the giant mushroom that worked as a stage. She passed by Biggie and Smidge along her way. 

“Poppy! You’re back!” Biggie said through his laughter. 

“Where’s your plus one?” Smidge wiggled her eyebrows. 

Poppy snorted, blushing bright magenta. “He’s in his bunker getting ready! He’ll be here soon!”

The trolls below her tossed her up to the mushroom. She struck a pose and the crowd clapped and hollered, welcoming their queen. A mic was tossed into her outstretched hand and she flicked it on, spinning around. 

“Let’s get this party really started!” She boomed, voice echoing with the amped up screams of the trolls.

DJ Suki cranked the volume on her turntables and released her flashing strobe beetles. The crowd moved as a wave, a rainbow of ruffled hair and dancing bodies consuming the entire clearing. Poppy hopped around to the beat with them. It was great to see everyone having a blast, with no danger to be heard! It was time to really get these trolls going wild.

“Cooper! Let that fire fly!” 

The giraffe-troll gave a hearty laugh, stomping his feet in anticipation. The lightning bug held carefully in his teeth lit up the fuze of a huge, glittery firework. It shot up into the sky with a flash, exploding and raining shining glitter down to the crowd. Another huge roar of excitement filled Poppy’s ears. She loved every minute of it, the raving fueling her own wild party-animal energy.

Through the crowd she spotted Branch doing his best to forge a path through the crowd without getting _too_ thrown around. A tight smile was flashed in her direction. Hiding his discomfort wasn’t his strength, and Poppy was too good at spotting his feelings anyway. She shot her hair out to him like a lifeline and he gladly accepted, twisting his fingers into her locks. A solid yank, and he was launched right up to where she was standing. Immediately she grabbed his hands, encouraging him to dance with her.

“I found some better clothes!” He hollered over the music. “What do you think?”

She leaned back to get a better look at him. Leafy vest, patched brown shorts. Confused, she looked back to his expectant face.

“You...look great!” She said, trying to sound sincere rather than perplexed. 

“Thanks! these shorts only have five patches, and I used some brighter leaves to make this vest. I guess I was in a good mood when I did it!” He spun her around and caught her hands again. “I, uh...like your dress!”

Poppy was in her usual blue and white fuzzy dress. It was comfortable and let her move freely, which was definitely important for a party like this. Her leafy crown had been left at her pod, opted out for her usual flower headband. It was saved for more special events that called for a more regal look, rather than a village rave.

“Aw, stop! I wear this like every day!”

“Yeah, but...I dunno, I still like it!”

A short snort of laughter left the queen. Branch chuckled warmly, finding her odd laugh contagious and a bit more endearing than he was willing to admit. He was having an unexpectedly good time so far. Dancing in huge groups like this was still a bit foreign, but he was able to beat his anxiety back just enough to join in, even if just for a short while. 

Another huge blast of fireworks made him jump. It jolted his memory back to what he was most concerned to hear about. 

“How did everyone like my plans?” 

Poppy’s great time tearing it up with Branch was halted just a bit by a sudden pang of guilt. “Um...they thought they were great! Very comprehensive! We are 100% prepared. 110%, even!”

Branch sighed with relief. “Great...thanks for finally listening to me.”

She tried to hide a wince as she smiled, biting her lip. A white lie to make him more comfortable wasn’t bad. The trolls were safe, he believed he made a difference, and everyone was having fun together. Everything would go smooth as butter, and then everyone could go back home, jazzed and ready for a good long rest. 

Another huge firework went off and lasers shot into the sky with it, the colorful lights glinting against the glitter that rained down. Even Branch seemed to get revved up (despite the glitter that he dreaded so). It felt great for him to actually enjoy a party as big as this without having to be practically sick with worry over everyone’s safety. 

“TURN IT _UP!”_ Branch and Poppy shouted together into the mic.

A massive glitter bomb of Guy Diamond and Cooper’s making launched into the sky so high it almost went out of sight. Flowers surrounding the clearing burst open and shot neon lights and sparkles over the trolls. The explosion boomed above, so loud it was almost painful for the sensitive ears below. The aftershock and bright light threw everyone back slightly before they went absolutely crazy with party energy. Branch, who looked apprehensive and alarmed when the pyrotechnics first went off, shrugged off his uncertainty and whooped along with the crowd. Poppy leapt even higher with joy when she saw his colors brighten up with his newfound excitement. She hugged him tightly and he embraced back, the two spinning around and laughing as they continued to dance and lead the party on.

\------

A few miles off from the village, through the thick woods, a glowing fire burned in the black of night. Bushes, saplings, vines, and any other vegetation had been hacked away to leave the area open and almost barren of natural life, down to the bare dirt. In the place of plants was a tall, muddy green tent, one large log pushed close to the fire, and a tall stack of what seemed to be cubes hidden beneath a large sheet. 

Sitting on the log were three figures dressed top to bottom in camo. One was short and stocky with a bushy mustache-goatee combo. His skin was pale and wrinkled, beady eyes almost hidden in the folds of skin on his face. A cigar stuck out from his barely visible lips, smoke lazily drifting up as it burned away with every small puff. On the other end of the log was an extremely lanky figure, almost twice the height of the previously mentioned man. His arms and legs were like hairy twigs, and his torso was so long and stretched out it looked as though it barely had room for any organs. His face was long and covered in a dark stubble. A small patch of dark hair sat on top of his narrow head. Round glasses were perched on a long, narrow nose, which he picked off every few minutes to clean almost compulsively. Between the two was the third and last member of the small group. He had a sharp jaw and high cheekbones, giving him an intimidating expression despite his later age. Salt and pepper hair was hidden under a wide-brim hat, the shadow it cast covering most of his angular face. His hard, black eyes glowed from the reflection of the fire blazing before him. Strong, currently white-knuckled hands gripped his knees. Veins bulged on his arms and his forehead as well. He was obviously not in the best of moods.

“We gonna start heading back home soon or what?” The stocky man grunted, interrupting the silence.

“Yeah, I think we’ve got at least one of every weird animal here,” the lanky man grumbled. “And I’m getting sick of hotdogs every night.”

The lead man let out a long, gravely sigh. “There’s still something out here,” he moved a hand off his knee to the shiny gun beside him. “...I can feel it.”

“What else could possibly be out here? They gotta be tiny if we haven’t found them by now!” The stocky man exclaimed.

“Tiny isn’t a bad thing, Gideon. Some people want tiny.”

“I guess...” Gideon grumbled. “But how are we gonna find them?”

“If they even exist,” the lanky man mumbled under his breath. 

“They _are_ out there, Dusty.”

“I’m getting a little sick of your ‘gut feelings’ Clayton. I think we should just celebrate what we got, head home, and let the money roll in! Collectors will kill for what we’ve found here.” Gideon gave Clayton a hard look, tapping some ash from his cigar.

Clayton returned the stare, a threatening frown sliding down his face. “There’s a reason why I’m the leader of this hunting expedition. I don’t give up until I’ve found every living creature in an area.”

“Plus you’re paying for it,” Dusty chuckled dryly.

Clayton stood up abruptly, snatching his gun from its leaning position on the log. “Exactly. _I’m paying for us to be here._ So  _you_ go by _my_ rules. We are going to find whatever else is out here and get as much profit out of this useless, overgrown jungle as we can.”

Before Gideon could give another sarcastic retort, the echo of a far away explosion sounded off through the darkness. They all whipped around towards the noise, eyes wide with shock. The faint buzz of cheering followed the fading roar.

“I thought we were the only hunters out here?” Dusty whispered.

He could’ve sworn a few purple sparkles floated in front of his eyes for the briefest moment. He pulled off his glasses and cleaned them briskly.

“We are,” Clayton rumbled, a smile crawling across his lips as he cocked his gun. “Grab your supplies, boys. I think my gut’s been on to something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's chapter three! I'll be updating soon :^) leave a comment if u want, hope u enjoyed!


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's a long one, sadle up

 

Poppy and Branch, now joined with Biggie, Smidge, and Fuzzbert, continued dancing on top of the large stage-like mushroom. The entire village was all singing together now, the rave music replaced by some of the trolls’ favorite tunes to belt to. 

Smidge bounced her way over to Branch nervously. She gave his vest a quick tug and he turned, his awkward toothy smile meeting her equally apprehensive one.

“What’s up, Smidge?” He called over the hundreds of singing voices, still continuing to move to the rhythm. 

“Hey, I...just wanted to say I’m sorry about what I said earlier. Really not cool of me at all,” she said, looking sullen despite her peppy movements. 

His ears twitched downward a bit as he shrugged dismissively. “Eh, sorry for being...how I was being. A branch in the mud.”

Smidge chuckled with him, relieved that there were no hard feelings. She and Branch were both very hard-headed trolls who did not back down easily. A spat between the two was not unheard of, but Smidge still hated any _petty_ conflict. If she was going to get in a fight, she liked to have a good, solid reason. 

The two continued to tear it up with their friends. They were all hardly out of breath even after all of the intense partying. Each time they thought it was maybe time for a short break, another huge firework would be shot off, another beat would drop, or more strobe beetles would appear, throwing them all back into the heat of the moment. 

If they all had taken a moment to rest, they may have noticed the three looming figures just beyond the tree line. Dusty and Gideon gawked at the small, humanoid creatures raving in front of them, singing and boogying to a remixed version of _Take On Me._ Clayton’s eyes and bared teeth gleamed in the dark, reflecting the bright lights in front of him eerily. Small, colorful animals with big hair that could sing and dance? The dollar signs were already ringing in his ears.

“Oh, I love this song!” Gideon whispered to Dusty, who nodded in agreement. 

“Get ready to hear it the whole ride home, boys,” Clayton muttered, drawing a small pistol and aiming it at one of the critters that was so conveniently perched on a big red mushroom. “Like a big target...come to papa.” 

“I’m really glad you came out tonight!” Poppy gave Branch a wide smile.

He gave a lopsided grin back. “Y’know, I’m glad too!”

“Oh, you two! I could just eat you up!” Biggie squealed, running up and wrapping the two in a bear hug. 

Before the two could react (or try to catch their breath after getting the wind squashed right out of them), a loud pop sounded from the trees and Biggie yelped. The two smaller trolls were dropped instantly as he looked to the back of his shoulder.

“Biggie, what’s the matter?” Poppy pushed herself off the mushroom and to her feet, brows creased with worry.

“What was that sound?” Branch surveyed around him in alarm. 

Biggie turned around and his friends gasped. A small puff of bright pink stuck to him like a second head of hair, only it was attached to a short point that was sunk deep into Biggie’s shoulder. Dazed, the large troll stumbled before falling face first onto the mushroom, completely unconscious. Mr. Dinkles mewed with concern as he hit the ground with Biggie.

“Biggie!” Poppy gasped, running up to her fainted friend. 

Branch felt his heart in his throat as he recognized the object lodged in Biggie. Oh, no. This wasn’t happening.

“Get down! Everyone get down!” He hollered, desperately trying be heard over the music that was still shaking the trees around them. 

“Branch, we have to help him!” Poppy cried, trying to push Biggie onto his side. 

“No, Poppy, we need to execute Plan 12! Quick, tell all the other trolls! They’ll know what to do! Now!”

Poppy froze and swallowed. “Ah...um...”

“C’mon! Hurry!”

She stuttered more, shuffling her feet, unable to meet his panicked gaze. “I-I just...um...well...”

Branch’s eyes widened in horror. “ _You didn’t explain the emergency plans?”_

“I-I thought-!” Poppy shrieked as another dart flew by her, catching Smidge in her arm.

The smaller troll was out like a light. Following the path the dart took, Poppy and Branch spotted through the trees three enormous beings in the darkness. They were bigger than any bergen the trolls had ever encountered, and armed with strange sticks that were aimed directly at them. Terror seized the pair, rendering them immobile for a few agonizing seconds. Just long enough for them to make eye contact with Clayton.

“Run!” Branch grabbed Poppy’s hand and made a break for cover.

Poppy screamed into her microphone, “Run, everyone! Run! Blend in!” 

Seeing that their cover was blown, Clayton, Gideon, and Dusty emerged from the trees while most of the trolls were still distracted or confused. Dusty had a net stretched out in his long arms, throwing it over a majority of the villagers before they had the chance to outrun it. Clayton and Gideon got to work tranquilizing any stragglers.

“I want every last one of these little walking rainbows captured!” Clayton barked, shooting DJ Suki in the arm with another tranquilizer.

Widespread panic seized the trolls, crying and screaming replacing the music. Many were thrown over Dusty’s back in the net, calling for help and desperately trying to wriggle their way out. Any unconscious trolls were also snatched up and tossed into the net carelessly. One by one, the trolls were rounded up, no match for the weapons of submission being used against them by their giant attackers. 

Branch frantically ducked and weaved with Poppy in tow. He had never seen giants like this and was terrified out of his wits. What they were capable of, what they wanted with him and the rest of the trolls, if his friends were just knocked out, or worse...he had no answers. He was so, so unprepared. Keeping Poppy safe was all he could think about as he made a beeline for his bunker. 

Clayton spotted the two as they just barely avoided being stepped on my Dusty. “Be careful, you idiot!” He seethed, taking aim at Poppy. 

Pain shot through her arm as a dart hit its mark. Branch tried to drag her just a bit further, just to get her out of the clearing and into cover. Before he could even take another step, Poppy had dropped to her knees, eyes fluttering closed. He skidded to a halt immediately and caught her before she fell to the hard ground.

“No, no! Poppy! Wake up!” He begged, pulling her in close to him.

He pressed an ear to her chest. He heart was beating quickly, but strongly. Gathering himself, he lifted her into his arms and continued sprinting for his bunker. Everything had gone so horribly, awfully wrong. How could he have let his guard down like that? Why hadn’t he just gone over his plans himself? How could he let this happen?

A dart shot onto his back and he choked back a scream. Pained seared through his whole body for just a second before dulling, everything going hazy. Despite the overwhelming urge to just topple over and let sleep take him, Branch struggled forward, hugging Poppy closer as he limped towards the tree line that still seemed miles away,

Clayton rasped out a laugh, reloading his gun. “A fighter, eh?” 

He fired off another dart at Branch. It sank into his arm, throwing him off balance and into the ground. His grip on Poppy was lost and she rolled a few feet away from him before laying still in the grass, deceivingly peaceful. Gritting his teeth, Branch yanked the dart of his arm with a grunt and threw it to the side. Blue, gooey blood pearled out of the wound. He ignored it, feeling himself start to fade fast, and started dragging himself towards Poppy in a last-ditch effort to save her, to get her to some sort of safety. Dusty’s boney hand reached her before the blue troll could even get close. Poppy was gone in an instant.

“No! No...” Branch whispered hoarsely.

Poppy joined the other trolls in the net. Branch’s eyes overflowed with helpless tears. They blurred his vision even more, mixing with the black spots that swam before him. His arms gave out completely under him and he finally sank to the ground in a pitiful heap. Dusty’s descending hand was the last thing he could make out before everything faded to black.

“This little fella had spunk, eh?” Dusty chuckled to Clayton, waving an unconscious Branch in his direction by his foot. 

“I was getting ready to shoot the puny thing a third time,” he scoffed. “Is that all of them, then?”

“I think so!” Gideon called. “Checked all their hanging houses and in the grass and under whatever else I could find. Kinda neat how they can change their hair to camouflage, huh?”

“More like a pain in the neck,” Clayton growled. “We’ll circle back in the morning and pick up any possible stragglers. Let’s head back and get some rest, we’re headed home tomorrow!”

Dusty and Gideon hurrahed and followed Clayton back towards the campsite, leaving behind the wrecked and empty village. 

\------

Cold metal sent a chill through Poppy’s body, stirring her into consciousness. She groaned and cracked her eyes open. It felt like she’d been run over by a caterbus. Everything was a blur, her head swimming thickly. How crazy _was_ last night’s party?

She rubbed her eyes sloppily in an attempt to get the sleep out of her system. Her arms were like jelly. The sound of soft crying suddenly caught her attention and she lifted her head in search of the source. A small group of trolls huddled together in front of her, some whimpering, others still knocked out, some calling to their unseen loved ones from the bars of the cage. Poppy sat up fully, eyes wide with horror. 

“Poppy! You’re up!” Smidge pushed her way to her queen, hair tussled with panic. “Are you okay?”

Still very out of it, Poppy shook her head slowly. “Wh...What happened? Where are we?”

Smidge shrugged helplessly. “All I remember is those giants coming out of the woods...I woke up here a little while ago. The other trolls are locked up in the other cages...”

Poppy could hardly process what she was hearing. Her eyes flicked around wildly, looking for any means of escape or a clue as to where they all had ended up. 

The square cage wasn’t very tall or long, making the space cramped for the twenty-something trolls that had been stuffed in there. She winced internally for Biggie and Cooper, who would definitely be stooping to avoid hitting their heads, wherever they were. Beyond the bars she could barely make out more cages, filled not only with more trolls, but other animals that resided in the forest. Wingdingles, Spiders, Heffaloogs, even giant worms, just to name a few. Darkness shrouded them all. The forlorn calls of both trolls and wild creatures wafting in the dark sent shivers down her spine. It was all like some kind of fever dream. A nightmare. 

“Where...where is everyone? Biggie? Guy Diamond? DJ? Branch?” 

Smidge interrupted quickly. “Biggie is in a cage below us with DJ, Cooper, and Fuzzbert. Guy Diamond and Satin and Chenille are in a cage next to us, over there.” She pointed to her left. Poppy could just barely make out Guy’s glitter and the twins’ shiny outfits shimmering in what little light was available. 

“What about Branch?” Poppy whimpered. 

Smidge cringed. “Well...he’s over here...”

Smidge took Poppy’s hand and guided to her to her feet gently. The pink troll was still fairly groggy and her knees felt like they might give out. Still, she pushed through her mental fog, anxious to check up on her friend. 

Poppy almost flinched when Branch finally came into view after nudging her way through the cluster of terrified trolls. He was pale and dull, still out cold. Digging her teeth into her tongue to fight back a sob, Poppy dropped down next to Branch and gave his shoulders a quick shake.

“Branch? It’s Poppy...please wake up!” His eyes stayed shut, shallow breathing stressing her out even more. “Why is he still asleep? Everyone is is awake, why isn’t he up? Is he really hurt?”

“Calm down, Poppy, I’m sure he’s alright. I think he just got poked with those sleeping darts twice so he’s _extra_ knocked out.” Smidge carefully pushed Branch onto his side to show Poppy the two small puncture wounds where he had been stuck. 

Poppy winced and sat back. She peered through the darkness once again, trying to find some source of light, both figuratively and literally. Was this how her friends had felt when they were captured by Chef and stuffed inside her stuffy, dark fanny pack? All of the cries and uncomfortable shifting of the creatures surrounding her, both troll and non-troll, were so overwhelming, yet strangely muffled. Whatever was covering them all must have been some sort of cloth to be absorbing all the noise. She wished she was wrapped up in a cloth...her nice, soft blankets back in her pod...quiet, content, peaceful...

Smidge, not being able to stand seeing her queen and best friend sit in obvious turmoil, wrapped her up in a strong hug. Poppy hugged back tightly after a brief moment of surprise, grateful that her friend was there with her to provide some kind of comfort. 

“It’s gonna be okay,” Smidge whispered, trying to choke back her emotions. “Just do what you do best: stay positive.”

Heaving a deep breath, Poppy nodded firmly. Smidge was right, she needed to stay optimistic. For the good of the trolls. They needed a strong leader to keep their hopes up, to keep them from going grey. She couldn’t bear to let that happen again to her people.

A low, raspy groan from Branch snapped the queen’s attention back to him in an instant. She and Smidge both gasped and separated, jumping over to help rouse him. 

“Branch! Are you alright?” Poppy almost shouted. “Say something!”

Branch’s head felt like it was full of mud, thoughts slugging through it as he tried to process his surroundings. Vision blurred, cotton mouthed, red eyed...he looked a mess and felt 100x worse.

“Dang it, man, stay with us!” Smidge commanded, grabbing him by the vest and jerking him back and forth like a rag doll.

He coughed and squawked, disoriented all over again. “Stop! Get off!”

Smidge released him and he sank back onto his back with another dizzy groan. Poppy smoothed his hair back, trying to calm the entire situation. 

“Wh...Poppy...”

“I’m right here, I’m fine...Just...take it easy...” She looked back at her small yellow friend sternly. “Both of you.”

Eyes rolling around hazily in an attempt to get his bearings, Branch pushed himself up onto his elbows. They were somewhere dark. And surrounded by metal bars. And other wild animals in cages. Immediately he felt like he’d been thrown back into that awful old birdcage of Chef’s, awaiting his untimely doom.

The memory of what had happened at the party surged forward and strangled any lingering drowsiness out of him in a moment. Fear overtook him, then confusion, then boiling anger as he looked at Poppy.

“...You didn’t go over the emergency plans...” he muttered through gritted teeth.

Poppy stared at him, mouth hanging open. Anger and guilt mixed within her uncomfortably. 

“You’re really gonna bring that up now?” She hissed. “We’re all locked up in cages, surrounded by other creatures, covered in some sheet, in the middle of Troll-knows-where!”

His nose scrunched as his eyebrows sank down. “Yeah, because everyone panicked instead of escaping in a planned, orderly fashion!”

“Trolls would’ve been captured either way! You were there, you saw! We were ambushed!” Poppy stood and turned her back with a huff. “Don’t go blaming me for the inevitable!”

_“Inevitable?”_ He spluttered. “Danger is _always_ avoidable if you’re careful enough! If you care about anything other than just blindly having fun!” He spat the last word like it was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.

Smidge stared at the arguing pair, wide eyed and unsure. Her first instinct was of course to side with Poppy. Her second instinct was to attempt to reason with both of them. She decided to act on both.

“Alright, alright!” She shoved Branch back against the bars. “Being angry at Poppy isn’t gonna solve this! Just relax! We have to think of a way to get out of here!”

Branch twisted free of Smidge’s grasp, fists still trembling. Truth was, he felt more responsible for this situation than anyone. If he’d just read over his plans himself instead of turning into some party-crazy softy, this situation could’ve been avoided. If he’d been more alert, if he’d been on the lookout, if he hadn’t ignored his instincts, if he wasn’t busy trying to fit in-

“...Well?” Smidge demanded, breaking Branch’s train of thought. “What should we do?”

Blue met magenta in seething tension. Poppy was the first to sigh and let her shoulders drop. She had bigger issues to solve other than coddling a grouchy Branch. He settled somewhat as well, deciding to stare at his feet instead, ears drooping slightly. 

“Well...let’s take a look at the lock on this thing. Maybe we can pick it.” She shot Branch a look over her shoulder. “C’mon, big ears, you’re good at this sort of thing.”

Face scrunched indignantly, Branch followed Poppy and Smidge over to the other end of the cage. The shiny brass padlock hung tauntingly from the outside of the cage. Branch snagged it with his hair and maneuvered it through the bars. 

“Hm...” The lock was different from any that he’d seen before. More modern. More challenging, definitely. “This is an unnecessary question, I’m sure, but, do you have some scissors?”

A pink pair of scissors was plopped into his outstretched hand. He smirked a bit to himself as he pressed his ear to the lock and jimmied the scissors around in the keyhole. The lock stubbornly held fast, and punished the attempt by snapping the scissors in two. Branch snorted and tossed the pieces away. Poppy looked longingly after them. What a waste of a perfectly good scrapbooking tool. 

“This is gonna require a little more finesse...”He formed his hair into a thin point and started at the lock again, purple tongue out in concentration. 

Poppy sat behind him, chewing on her finger nervously. This was taking much longer than she liked. Their captors could appear at any moment, and she didn’t know if it was day or night outside. They could have hours or mere minutes to get everyone free. At the rate this was going, they were sure to run out of time.

“Can you hurry up?” She hissed, suddenly nervous about being too loud and attracting unwanted attention to their escape.

“You can’t rush this sort of thing, Poppy,” he said through clenched teeth. 

“Here, let me give it a try.” Smidge grabbed the lock from Branch. “I’ve got plenty of finesse too, y’know.”

She took a deep breath and started to roughly smash the lock against the floor of the cage repeatedly. The sudden crashing and banging startled the other animals and trolls so badly, a wave of havoc immediately started rising. Branch shot forward to restrain the pint-sized powerhouse, but only succeeded in getting his toes smashed under the lock. His shriek of pain only added to the confusion and cacophony of panic. 

The sheet was suddenly ripped away from the cages, bright white light blinding curious and fearful eyes. Smidge threw the lock away to cover her eyes, her companions following suit. 

“Getting a bit restless under here?” Clayton sneered.

Animals hissed and the trolls all cowered in fear, pressing themselves against the farthest corner of their cages they could reach. 

Poppy stepped forward, mouth curved in an uncharacteristically resentful frown. “Let my people go!”

Clayton leaned forward, his face taking up the trolls’ full view with menacing forcefulness. “’Your people’, huh? I guess you’re the little president then?”

“That’s queen to you, buster!” Smidge corrected, moving to stand beside her defiant leader. 

“Oh, my apologies, _your majesty,”_ he spat sarcastically. “But I’m afraid you little walking, talking Skittles won’t be getting out of these cages until we land back in Florida.”

Florida. Branch jumped forward next to Poppy. “ _Florida?_ That’s a _place?_ ”

“Of course it is, you little twit. It’s going to be your new home! Well, for a while, anyway.” 

Branch gulped audibly. This whole “being eaten by giant monsters” deal was supposed to be over with.

“Wh-What are you going to do with us?” Poppy’s voice shook, no matter how hard she tried to sound confident.

“We taste really bad! J-Just so you know!” Smidge added.

Clayton raised an eyebrow at the yellow teaspoon troll. “While selling you as a rare delicacy might make me an _alright_ amount of money, I have better plans for you all.”

He stood up straight and moved back to study his prisoners. A small travel notebook was pulled from inside dingy green his vest and a pencil from one of his many pants pockets. Flipping to a clean page and licking the tip of the pencil, he flicked his dark eyes back to the trolls. 

“So. Ready to answer my questions?”

Branch squinted suspiciously at Clayton and leaned over to whisper in Poppy’s ear, which twitched at his words. “Don’t tell him anything.”

Clayton rapped the cage with his notebook, sending the trolls within it tumbling. “Don’t get smart, big nose.”

Branch was getting very sick of people making fun of his features. Regardless, he still shook his head at Poppy curtly, sending her a firm message. She peered between him and Clayton, eyes wide with stress. What she’d give to not be queen in that moment. 

“I’d say your lives depend on you answering me, Ms. Pretty In Pink, so take that into consideration with your answers. What is your species called?”

That threat alone convinced Poppy enough to ignore Branch’s warnings. “W-We’re trolls...”

Clayton scratched her words into his journal. “Seems to be a fair amount of variation amongst yourselves. Subspecies?”

“Um...there’s rainbow trolls, a-and glitter trolls...”

“Teaspoon trolls,” Smidge added, gesturing to herself.

Poppy nodded. “And there’s giraffe trolls, and giant trolls, and treasure trolls!”

Clayton nodded, recording the information in his sharp handwriting. “Diet?”

Poppy, forgetting that she was basically being interrogated and not playing a game of 20 questions at a sleepover, tapped her chin lightly. “Well...I’ve never met a troll that doesn’t like berries...”

“This guy is _nuts_ for acorns!” Smidge laughed, pointing at Branch.

“Don’t tell him about me!” He blurted. “I-I...don’t eat anything! At all!”

Clayton rolled his eyes. “Really? With that gut you’ve got?”

Branch flushed a dark purple. “It’s important to have a layer of fat for padding, warmth, and in case of food shortage!”

Clayton ignored Branch’s furious reasoning. “Berries, acorns...what else?”

Other trolls started to nervously wander up towards the front of the cage, offering their own input. 

“Cupcakes!” One orange troll called.

“Brownies!”

“Apples!”

“Plums!”

“Stout berry juice!”

“Sunflower seeds!”

“Pie and cake! With cherries on top!”

Branch tore at his hair. He couldn’t believe how eager they all were to give up information to this pale beast before them. Helplessness swamped him and he started pacing back and forth feverishly. 

“Alright, alright, enough, shut up. Habitat?”

Other trolls in other cages also started to join in the Q&A, including Biggie. “Well, trolls are _supposed_ to live in a Troll Tree, but we left ours around 20 years ago.”

Cooper nodded. “Yeah! Now we all live in pods we built in the trees around our village! Except for Branch, anyway!”

Branch shushed him viciously. Cooper ducked his head in fright at the livid troll.

“What? It’s true! You live in your hole in the ground!”

Satin and Chenille nodded. “And he spends most of his day collecting sticks!”

“...And his colors are usually kinda dull!”

“...And he’s sort of a grouch...”

“He’s obsessed with safety instead of parties!”

“He drinks his own sweat!”

Clayton narrowed his eyes at the ranting blue troll. “Are you some kind of defective troll or something?”

Freezing mid-tantrum, Branch could see that Clayton was having some sort of mental debate about Branch’s validity as a troll. “Uh...”

“He’s not defective!” Poppy snapped. “He’s just...different!”

“ _Different_ doesn’t sell.”

Those three words were heavy with maliciousness and implied consequences. Branch bit his lip. His head spun. Why did the trolls have to have such big mouths? Why were they so eager to call him out? 

Clayton gave a short snort before tucking his journal away. “No matter. If anything, I can use you as a study skin. Put you in some pretty little museum exhibit. We’ll be flying in an hour, so say your goodbyes to this overgrown jungle. I’m sure you won’t miss it.” He turned away, grinning, and ducked back into the large tent behind him.

Lightheaded, Branch sat promptly and buried his face in his hands, knees tucked into his chest. Poppy was also starting to feel the weight of their situation once more. Leave the forest? To fly to “Florida”? How far away was that? Why take them all there? What was waiting for them if not death by being eaten? How was she going to protect everyone? Sure, she’d managed to rescue her friends when they were captured, but every troll in the village was counting on her now. And she didn’t know how to help when she, too, was at the mercy of these giants. 

Uncertainty after uncertainty piled onto her shoulders until she could no longer bear to stay standing. She sank down next to Branch, leaning into his trembling side. 

“...What’s a ‘study skin?’” She mumbled.

A choked sob was the only reply he could muster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa I hope this was okay! Comments always appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loaded up in the plane, the trolls try to figure out a means of escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the wicked long wait, finally got the motivation I needed to update!! enjoy!

Dusty and Gideon lugged cage after cage into the cargo hold of the small bush plane. They were not gentle in the slightest, trolls and other creatures getting thrown around, both into the metal bars and each other. Cries for help, as fruitless as they were, landed on the deaf ears of the trappers. 

“Don’t damage the goods, boys. It’ll come out of your paycheck.” Clayton sniffed, bringing a steaming mug of coffee to his lips. 

He was more than ready to start heading back to Florida and get his new business rolling. This was definitely going to be his most successful one yet. People will buy anything small and colorful these days. 

Poppy gawked at her bizarre new surroundings as Branch frantically took notes in his sketchbook. Smidge was busy pounding on the metal bars with her fists, hollering all the while.

“Will you shut up?” Branch snapped at the teaspoon troll. “I can barely think straight with all the noise you’re making!”  


Pausing her hammering, Smidge turned to face Branch, face a frightening shade of orange. “Maybe if you came over and helped instead of writing in your diary, we could get out of here!”

“Guys, stop fighting!” Poppy quickly got between the two testy trolls. “I know you’re both stressed, but getting angry at each other won’t help!”  


Branch slammed his sketchbook shut. “I’ve explored this entire cage for possible escape ways, there’s nothing. We’re trapped.”

“You can’t give up so easily, Branch!” Poppy tried to give him a playful bop on the shoulder. “C’mon, always prepared, right?”  


Heaving a sigh, Branch scanned the cage once again. The metal was strong and oddly pungent, the smell sticking to his hands after gripping it. Some bars were bent from rough handling, but not enough for anyone to squeeze through. Branch had no tools on him to work with, and if Smidge wasn’t strong enough to get the bars to budge, he knew he didn’t have a chance. The lock wasn’t pickable or breakable. The chaos going on in each cage (as well as the one he was stuck in) was too out of hand to try and rally teamwork. The noise and constant movement was overwhelming to say the least.

Another rough sigh. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s a bright side in this situation.”

Before Poppy could try and argue, the cargo door was slammed shut and everyone was plunged back into darkness. She backed into Branch who grabbed her hand protectively. Smidge scooted right up against her leg as the plane started to rumble, the engine starting with a low roar. 

“This is it, Mr. Dinkles!” Poppy heard Biggie cry from a few cages away.   


She could feel Branch sink down to the floor of the cage again, leaning into her more. Thinking about the amount of terror he must’ve been feeling was something she couldn’t take in that moment. So she did what she was best at.

“Hey, it’s okay! Everything will be fine! Maybe they just...uhm...want to show us around this Florida place! Like celebrities!” She gave Branch a nudge, trying to encourage him to get back on his feet. “We can’t give up yet!”  


Branch continued to sit on the floor, knees tucked into his chest. “Poppy...”

She bounded away, cutting him off. From what Branch could tell, she was doing her best to encourage the other trolls in the cage, along with neighboring ones, to stay calm and optimistic. She even somehow found it in herself to start singing an upbeat song to try and lift spirits up. Branch almost envied her ability to pretend that everything was great, everything was grand, and they would be just fine. Meanwhile his mind was reeling with thoughts of them being separated, sold off, and left at the mercy of these giants. While he certainly didn’t plan on going out without a fight, he didn’t see any options for them in that moment, and he was too preoccupied of thinking of ways to get everyone to safety once they finally did get to where they were going. Surprise attack? Some trolls distract, others run away to camouflage? Would camouflage even be an option? What if-

“Branch, c’mon! Join in!” Poppy laughed, giving him a toothy grin and she pulled him up to his feet.  


Branch didn’t have a chance to protest as Poppy was already spinning him around, singing at the top of her lungs, accompanied by the entire village. It seemed a little surreal, not having any of the usual music, food, and lights, but the captured animals around them also seemed to find the impromptu party infectious. Glow bugs flitted around in their jars, plants hummed in harmony, and the creatures whistled, honked, and sang right along. It was weird, and stuffy, and loud, and...happy. 

And loud.

 _Very_ loud.

Loud enough to maybe get them kicked off the plane. 

Poppy’s smile doubled as Branch finally seemed to let go, giving her a sort of playfully grumpy smile and taking a turn to give her a twirl. He started singing along, with much more gusto than she had anticipated. 

“About time!”

\---

“Are they _still_ partying down there?” Gideon groaned.  


Clayton, bridge of his nose pinched between his fingers, shaking with rage in his seat in the cockpit, let out a low growl. “They haven’t stopped for the last four hours, why would they stop now?”

Dusty let out a short shriek of frustration, trying to keep his hands steady on the plane’s controls. “If they don’t shut their traps soon, I’m turning this thing around and dumping them back in that overgrown jungle!”

“Better yet, just open the cargo now and dump them right in the ocean! Nice little drink for them all.”  


“Just stay calm!” Clayton barked. “You’re gonna crash all of us if you start freaking out. They can’t make this kind of noise forever.”  


“Are we even close to being home yet?” Gideon groaned. “I’m going stir crazy!”  


“You and me both,” Dusty huffed, checking his watch. “We’ve got another hour before landing.”  


Ignoring Gideon’s dramatic howl of despair, Clayton rubbed his calloused hands over his face. “It’ll all be worth it, boys. Soon enough, we won’t hear another peep out of those party animals _ever_ again.”

\---

“C’mon, one more song!”  


Poppy wiped the sweat from her brow, leaning up against the bars of the cage as she caught her breath. “Jeez, Branch, since when did you get so wild for parties?”

Branch, eyes wide and sweat dripping off him, gave a breathless shrug. “What can I say, maybe you’ve finally rubbed off on me! Now let’s go, get that cowbell out!”

“Branch, we’ve been going for almost five hug times, everyone is exhausted...even the animals! What’s gotten into you?”  


Feeling his composure crumbling slightly under Poppy’s suspicious pink magenta stair, Branch gave a tight, crooked grin. “Just...trying to stay positive!”

Poppy raised an eyebrow. “Okay, really though, what’s up?”

Branch huffed, slouching forward a bit in defeat. “Alright, alright...to be honest, I had the idea that if we were loud and crazy enough for a while, the giants might get sick of us and toss us out!”

Poppy’s face twisted in confusion. “Toss us out _where?_ There aren’t any windows here, we don’t have any idea where we are!”

Realizing the flaw in his plan, Branch’s ears twitched downward and he swallowed. Poppy was right. For all he knew, they were above some bubbling volcano, or a giant ocean, or some barren wasteland devoid of any food or water. A major miscalculation. 

Seeing the wheels in Branch’s head start to pick up speed, Poppy gave him a reassuring boop on the nose. “Hey, don’t sweat it! You’ve probably got no sweat left anyway.”

“I would kill for a glass of fruit punch right now,” Smidge groaned, lying on her back.  


“I’m feeling pretty hungry too...” Poppy mumbled, resting her chin in her hand as she thunk. “Too bad no one grabbed anything to eat before we left.”  


“You mean before we were all captured and knocked unconscious?” Branch grumbled.   


“Don’t get hangry on me, mister-”  


A sudden lurch of the plane cut Poppy off, throwing her into Branch and sending both the trolls tumbling. The cages started to slowly slide forward, causing a low murmur of unease to rise from within them.

“Stay calm everyone, stay calm!” Poppy called, trying to pick herself up while offering a hand to a flustered Branch.  


“We must be landing soon,” he said, rubbing the now sore back of his skull. “Wh-What are we gonna do?”  


Taking a deep breath, Poppy thought hard, desperately trying to come up with solutions. If they were just unloaded while in the cages, escape would be much more difficult. How many more giants would be waiting for them on the ground? Would there even be plants for them to hide in if they managed to get away? What about the creatures that were also captured? 

“Looking a little dismal, isn’t it?” Branch croaked, looking more than distressed at that point.   


“Hey, we’ll figure something out...we did with the bergens, didn’t we?”  


“How many more threats are we gonna have to subdue with singing and dancing?” Branch groaned.   


“It’s worth a shot...If it worked with the bergens, it can work with these giants!” Poppy grabbed Branch by the shoulders, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “You trust me?”  


Not seeing many other options, Branch nodded affirmatively, resting his hands on Poppy’s arms. “Well, we’ve got a lot of trolls to organize here, and not a lot of time...what’s the plan?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mostly a connective chapter, things will definitely get rolling from here on out. kudos and comments appreciated!


End file.
